In the Chinese film market in 2021, there is such a magical movie, which has been repeatedly complained about by netizens in the production and casting stages, and after the release, the box office and word of mouth have plummeted, but it has become a phenomenon-level national discussion topic.
This movie is the "First Incense" with a super luxurious top production lineup, but it has been spat on by netizens to the skinless.
Unlike "Hello, Lee Huan Ying", "Detective Chinatown" and "Chosin Lake", which have super high box office, they have little attention in the production stage, and they did not start to exert their strength until after their release.
"The First Incense" is one of the very few films in the history of Chinese films, which has attracted much attention from the beginning of the project casting, and this degree of attention is going all the way up, and after the official release of the film, it has directly appeared on the top of the list of major social platforms several times, and the degree of discussion is called a phenomenon.
In terms of production team, "First Incense" is an absolute top production team from director to music director compared to other films released in various regions of the world in the same year.
Xu Anhua, who has won more than 48 heavyweight film awards and countless directors' coveted Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Venice Film Festival, is the director, the original novel is written by Zhang Ailing, the famous writer Wang Anyi is the screenwriter, Du Kefeng is the cinematographer, and the musician Ryuichi Sakamoto is the film music director.
In the film circle, the super coffee production team of "First Incense" is enough to compete in the world's major film festivals, and each bit is a master-level presence in their respective fields, but it is such a luxurious top production lineup that makes "First Incense" one of the worst movies in 2021.
After the release of "The First Burning Incense", some people commented that it was a master lineup, but it was even more unpalatable than instant noodles, and even more directly attacked, which was the worst work ever by Xu Anhua, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Du Kefeng, and Zhang Ailing's work was "blacked" the most tragically.
In tens of thousands of film reviews, it can be seen that the reason why "The First Burning Incense" will have such a "negative" evaluation is mainly in the casting of the male and female protagonists, Xu Anhua chose Peng Yuyan and Ma Sichun to serve as male and female protagonists, which directly led to the bad reviews of the film.
Zhang Ailing's works have always been full of strong and ambiguous tones, most of the characters focus on the petty bourgeoisie of that era, men and women are blinded by a hazy and powerless color, and everyone longs for a strong inner emotional release.
Such a style of work, Zhang Ailing is particularly significant in the story of Ge Weilong and Qiao Qiqiao in "The First Incense", but in the movie, Ge Weilong, played by Ma Sichun, and Qiao Qiqiao, played by Peng Yuyan, present a character image that is very different from the original work, resulting in the direct collapse of the character logic in the story, and many fans of the original book and movie audiences have called out the play.
Under the comment area of "First Incense", some viewers directly wrote:
"Ma Sichun has a sense of the heaviness of a ten-pound pot helmet, choking people"
"Camel Xiangzi's first furnace steel, Peng Yuyan plays Xiangzi, Ma Sichun plays Tiger Girl, and Zhang Junning plays Xiao Fuzi." The casting is appropriate. The male actors are strong and the female actors are also strong. The aunt played by Yu Feihong has style. ”
Such "bad reviews" can be seen everywhere in the film review area of "First Incense".
The bad reviews about the casting of the characters of "The First Burning Incense", in fact, as early as the first wave of posters in the film production stage, there was a fierce discussion, whether it was Ma Sichun or Peng Yuyan, they were all pointed out to be unsuitable for male and female protagonists.
It is just that the director Xu Anhua, who has rarely been exposed to Internet social platforms and immersed in the production of the film, did not care about such a voice, until after the release of the movie, when wave after wave of bad reviews followed, Xu Anhua found that he chose the wrong person.
After the release of "The First Incense", Xu Anhua once called his friend Liang Wendao, a famous scholar, to tell the other party to watch it in time, otherwise the movie may be released at any time due to poor reputation.
When the bad reviews of "The First Burning Incense" intensified, Xu Anhua was interviewed by Liang Wendao's personal talk show, saying that he did not pay attention to the Internet at the beginning, and if he learned that the public's reaction to the film's starring role was so fierce, at the beginning of filming, Ma Sichun and Peng Yuyan, who were the main actors, would be replaced by more suitable people to star.
In the case of high attention, she finally handed over such a work, this result is far from what Xu Anhua himself expected, mentioning Ma Sichun and Peng Yuyan, the two leading actors, she also feels guilty and apologetic.
"The First Burning Incense", which has been in production for three years and has only been released for 9 days, under the influence of various bad reviews, it is difficult to find its traces on major ticket-buying software, or the broadcast time is cold in the evening or late at night, and the continuous decline in the number of films is about to face the official release.
As a film with a master production team and an adaptation of an original novel with national influence, "The First Burning Incense" has come to this step is obviously regrettable, although it is not a stain on the artistic career, but in the works of Xu Anhua, Sakamoto Ryuichi and Du Kefeng, "The First Burning Incense" will obviously become the most conspicuous work in the future.
The Waterloo encounter of "The First Incense" undoubtedly gives an example to all directors who try to adapt famous works and audiences with expectations, with a top master production team, and on behalf of a certain representative, it can shoot master works.
If you blindly adhere to your own aesthetics and ignore the feelings of the audience, you may create a masterpiece, but you are more likely to be overwhelmed by the audience's bad reviews of the mountain and tsunami, and completely abandoned by the audience.
Even Xu Anhua, who had already been honored and ranked in the hall of masters, would not be an exception.